What method do you use to ship?

FedEx is having a problem on their website right now. I just got off the phone with them. If your package is less than 12" cubed then do not put the box dimensions to figure your shipping costs. It will use a dim weight to figure shipping costs. The diference on my package was $6 and it was 12*9*6. I was assured that this problem will get solved.

Yeah, my calculations show that FedEx will be more expensive than what I had been paying with UPS, but honestly, what are our choices? UPS is likely to be put into the position of either shipping snakes for no one or everyone, just as Airborne Express may face as well, so this may be a moot point.

I would encourage everyone going to FedEx voluntarily and at a liesurely pace now rather than involuntarily and in panic mode later if UPS and Airborne get more hardlined about enforcing their policy of NO SNAKES. Which certainly may happen.

Realistically, the only two legal and above board ways at this point for us to ship out snakes will be FedEx, or the airlines. Even if the prices comparing the two were identical, the convenience of door-to-door delivery would make FedEx the logical choice for small shipments. Larger shipments would be much more cost effective using the airlines anyway. But logically a larger more valuable shipment probably should be sent that way anyway.

Cheaper or not........

They are snake friendly and they are showing me that they want my business.

Also with UPS (at least the drivers) they earn by the hour and it does not really matter to them if they ship our packages.

Fed Ex on the other hand, (at least the drivers) are paid by the number of packages they deliver.

So not only are they more willing to deliver my packages..................I get to help them earn money. The more I ship the more they earn. And the national average their drivers make is definately about two times more than what I make. and I am glad to help them do it too. And they in turn will help me by accepting my packages.

WHAT ?!?!?!
When did this happen?

January 29th, 2004.

Our UPS driver dropped off a package that morning and my wife asked him to stop by that evening to pick up an outgoing package of animals. He said to my wife "Didn't someone call you yesterday?"

That was the ONLY notice I got that my account with UPS had been shut down and they would no longer accept live snakes as shipments. I had been shipping with them since late April, 2003 without any hiccups whatsoever.

So if you think it can't happen to you, think again.

I know this is 4 months past the last post but what the heck. And to tell the truth I didn't read the entire thread so forgive if any of this has already been covered.

I work at UPS and was asking the higher-ups about shipping a chameleon I had. Here is what I was told. by four different people.

First person said that Pet stores can become certified to ship "harmless animals" and that just your average joe couldn't.

Second person said no way because the cabins of the planes aren't pressurized and that it would be impossible to ship.

Third person said no way, then I brought up that I had received reptiles through UPS. She then changed her story and said "well, we aren't supposed to but sometimes we do. And that my best chance would be to have a Pet Store ship it.

Fourth: I went to the Hub supervisor and he told me he returns any package stating "live animals" to the shipper.

So UPS can't even get there own story straight!

And the packages have to be unloaded, sorted and reloaded so quicly(we have to do 5500-10000 packages in 3-4 hours using 2 unloaders and 4 loaders) that noone reads what the packages say. I will gaurantee that your animals get tossed(literally). UPS knows this and that is why you get no live arrival gaurantee.

Oh, and by the way UPS or probably any other door-to-door shipper for that matter has no way of keeping your packages warm in the winter or cool in the summer. We have 3 industrial heaters for an entire wharehouse. but they keep all the bay doors open so the heat blows straight outside.

I ship all the time using usps. They know it is chameleons. I write it on the box. I have only 2 shipments that were late it took 2 days instead of one because of the weather. The chameleons were fine just a little dehydrated. I always use a heat pack or cold pack depending on the weather.

I am an approved FedEx shipper. I find it easier to prevent problems by following rules than have to dodge consequences ( I am not that limber anymore).

In the winter: I will ship in a nice sized/styrofoam lined box with a heat pack and the snake inside a damp, knotted bag insulated from the heat pack by a layer of newspaper and the newspaper takes up the remaining space so that the snake is not tossed around inside the box while the box is being manhandled.

In the summer: I will ship in a nice sized/styrofoam lined box with no heat pack and the snake inside a damp, knotted bag surrounded by crumbled newspaper to take up the remaining space so that the snake is not tossed around inside the box while the box is being manhandled.

**In both seasons, I will wait till the last minute to pack as to reduce stress on the snake.

Because I am new, I have shipped only one snake so far, the rest were to locals. I am looking forward to getting more practice!

It says I voted on this, and I am assuming that I voted FedEx With Approval...but I am now a recognized shipper with Delta Airlines, so I have been trying to utilize that service when possible. It is far less convenient on both ends, but it is an obvious choice in many situations (and sometimes, it is cheaper, too)

I am an approved FedEx shipper, and if I would have to rate this thread it would be "among the most valuable and informative threads ever" in Faunaclassifieds. The sample size is important and the results show that nearly 44% of the respondents ship without the carriers approval.

Originally Posted by The BoidSmith

I am an approved FedEx shipper, and if I would have to rate this thread it would be "among the most valuable and informative threads ever" in Faunaclassifieds. The sample size is important and the results show that nearly 44% of the respondents ship without the carriers approval.

It is important to note that this thread started before FedEx began readily accepting reptile shipments. Many of those who voted early on didn't have the ability/knowledge to obtain certification when most of the votes took place.

As far as important in shipping threads, my vote would go to this thread and the following thread.
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/foru...ad.php?t=33533

Which was started about a week after this thread.
The step by step certification process is laid out so that everyone should have the ability to follow.

Someone else mentioned these poll results in another thread some time ago. She stated that she was approved to ship FedEx and she couldn't understand how so many people are not following shipping policies, reflected by the vote here.
This is what I posted her.

Originally Posted by Dennis Hultman

It might be important to note that a lot of people posted on it before FedEx readily approved shipping of snakes. It was around the time UPS started to drop many people that were shipping snakes with them for years. Also, the poll didn't specify just snakes. Many people that took part in the poll were shipping other reptiles. Nobody posted on that thread for three years until someone brought it up this year. It's kind of funny to see people pop up on the thread three years later stating I only ship certified through FedEx when many that posted on the earlier parts of that thread and other threads and took part in the polls are the ones that paved the way for it to be readily available for others to become certified.